In its haste to strike another blow at Donald Trump, Congress may have just kicked open a door it can’t close. Following Trump’s abrupt tariff reversal — and his “Buy Now” post on Truth Social — Rep. Adam Schiff has called for an official investigation into whether the former president engaged in market manipulation or insider trading.
Rep. Adam Schiff
At first glance, it sounds like a righteous pursuit of justice — a sitting president making a market-moving statement, seemingly timed with his financial interests. But let’s not be naïve. If this investigation gains traction, it won’t just expose Trump. It’ll expose Washington itself.
Because the truth is, insider trading in D.C. isn’t an anomaly — it’s a feature of the system.
For years, members of Congress have bought and sold stocks with remarkable timing. Pandemic lockdowns, military conflicts, regulatory crackdowns, and tech antitrust cases — all have mysteriously coincided with well-timed trades by lawmakers or their spouses. Pelosi. Loeffler. Burr. Feinstein. The list cuts across party lines.
What makes Trump different is his loud, brash style. He didn’t whisper his optimism in a private briefing — he posted it publicly on social media. And now, because he made money in plain sight, Congress wants to investigate. But the hypocrisy is staggering.
How many senators dumped stocks after classified briefings? How many sit on committees that directly impact the companies they invest in? How many have family members running hedge funds or private equity firms, profiting off policy they quietly push?
And maybe — maybe — this probe will finally force America to ask:
How do so many members of Congress become multimillionaires on a $200,000 salary?
Rep. Nancy Pelosi
And let’s not forget Nancy Pelosi, whose name has become nearly synonymous with the very kind of ethical gray area this investigation threatens to expose. While Pelosi herself has denied wrongdoing, her husband — venture capitalist Paul Pelosi — has made millions from impeccably timed trades in companies directly impacted by legislation she was involved in. In July 2021, he purchased up to $5 million in call options for companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google, just weeks before the House Judiciary Committee advanced sweeping antitrust legislation targeting Big Tech — companies that ironically rallied after surviving regulatory threats. In July 2022, he bought shares in Nvidia, a major semiconductor company, shortly before the House voted on the CHIPS Act, which pumped $280 billion into the U.S. semiconductor industry. And back in 2008, the Pelosi family was granted early access to Visa’s IPO, while a bill aimed at capping credit card fees stalled in the House under her speakership. These trades may not be illegal under current law, but the pattern is clear — and deeply troubling. If Congress insists on investigating Trump for market manipulation, then it must also answer how so many lawmakers, Pelosi included, continue to build multimillion-dollar fortunes while earning just over $200,000 a year in public service.
This isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a systemic one. The second Congress opened a formal insider trading probe into a sitting president, giving the public a reason to demand a full accounting of their financial dealings. You can’t investigate Trump’s tweets without investigating Congressional briefings. You can’t scrutinize Trump’s trades without asking how Speaker Pelosi or Senator Schumer performed during those same market swings.
And they know it.
That’s what makes this such a dangerous move for Congress. It turns the spotlight back on themselves. It invites real accountability, not the performative kind, but the kind that exposes the swamp they’ve spent years trying to camouflage with empty ethics committees and toothless reform bills.
If Congress truly cared about insider trading, why wouldn’t they pass a clean, uncompromising ban on stock trading for sitting members? But they haven’t. Instead, they’ve found a convenient villain in Trump while protecting their wealth-building pipelines.
Let’s be clear: if Trump violated the law, he should be held accountable. But the standard must be universal, not selective. If the problem is political profiteering, the entire system must be held to the fire — not just one man.
So, by all means, investigate Trump. I would love to see it. It makes good theater and will give me something to write about. But don’t be surprised when the same spotlight reveals the rot in the rest of the room once the American people start asking who else knew—and when—the blaze may consume Congress, it thought it had aimed at someone else.
